Medical Transport Companies move patients between homes, hospitals and long-term care facilities. It is of the utmost importance that extreme care be taken to protect the transporting patient from any injury during the entire transport process. Strict protocols must be followed at each stage by each member of the medical transport team.
How Patient Injuries Happen During Transport
Unfortunately, patients are injured by the careless conduct of the medical transport company. These injuries occur at each stage in the transport process:
- Carelessly moving a patient from the original location to a stretcher;
- Carelessly transporting the patient to a vehicle;
- Carelessly loading the patient into a vehicle;
- Carelessly and improperly securing the patient during transport;
- Carelessly unloading the patient;
- Carelessly moving the patient into the new location.
Common Causes
Injuries to medical transport patients have many causes. These include lack of proper training on how to properly transport and restrain patients, failing to hire appropriately qualified workers, hiring workers with poor work records, failing to provide written instructions, distracted transport team members and providing defective equipment for transporters to use.
The Role of Equipment in Patient Safety
Modern stretchers and wheelchairs are highly specialized pieces of equipment designed to prevent injuries to patients. However, when such equipment is improperly used, it can be extremely dangerous to patients. Accordingly, proper training and proper attention to every detail by transport personnel are of paramount importance.
Who Is Held Responsible?
In most cases, both a medical transport worker and the company they work for can be held liable for injuries caused to a patient under their care. Unfortunately, many people who are injured by medical transport companies are already quite vulnerable or recovering from serious medical conditions, and their transport injuries can be very severe.
Attorneys Christian Patno and Colin Ray regularly represent patients who are injured by the carelessness of medical transport companies. They often work with expert witnesses both in the field of proper standards in the medical transport industry, as well as medical expert physicians who examine medical evidence to opine about what specific injuries and damage has occurred.
If you have been injured by a medical transportation company, or to seek counsel from our Personal Injury & Wrongful Death practice group, please reach out to request a consultation or call us at 216-696-1422.
